to write out their dinner-bill, who spent the evening in playing whist, kept very much to themselves.  It was into this set that the old general now introduced him.  Mr. Roscorla had quite the air of a bashful young man when he made one of a party of those ancients, who dined at the same table each evening.  He was almost ashamed to order a pint of champagne for himself—­it savored so much of youth.  He was silent in the presence of his seniors, and indeed they were garrulous enough to cover his silence.  Their talk was mostly of politics—­not the politics of the country, but the politics of office—­of undersecretaries and candidates for place.  They seemed to look on the government of the country as a sort of mechanical clock, which from time to time sent out a few small figures, and from time to time took them in again; and they showed an astonishing acquaintance with the internal and intricate mechanism which produced these changes.  Perhaps it was because they were so busy in watching for changes on the face of the clock that they seemed to forget the swinging onward of the great world outside and the solemn march of the stars.

Most of those old gentlemen had lived their life—­had done their share of heavy dining and reckless drinking many years ago—­and thus it was they had come to drink seltzer and claret.  But it appeared that it was their custom after dinner to have the table-cover removed and some port wine placed on the mahogany.  Mr. Roscorla, who had felt as yet no ugly sensations about his finger-joints, regarded this ceremony with equanimity, but it was made the subject of some ominous joking on the part of his companions.  Then joking led to joking.  There were no more politics.  Some very funny stories were told.  Occasionally one or two names were introduced, as of persons well known in London society, though not of it; and Mr. Roscorla was surprised that he had never heard these names before:  you see how one becomes ignorant of the world if one buries one’s self down in Cornwall.  Mr. Roscorla began to take quite an interest in these celebrated people, in the price of their ponies, and the diamonds they were understood to have worn at a certain very singular ball.  He was pleased to hear, too, of the manner in which the aristocracy of England were resuming their ancient patronage of the arts, for he was given to understand that a young earl or baron could scarcely be considered a man of fashion unless he owned a theatre.

On their way up to the card-room Mr. Roscorla and one of his venerable companions went into the hall to get their cigar-cases from their top-coat pockets.  This elderly gentleman had been the governor of an island in the Pacific:  he had now been resident for many years in England.  He was on the directorate of one or two well-known commercial companies; he had spoken at several meetings on the danger of dissociating religion from education in the training of the young; in short, he was a tower of respectability.  On the present occasion he had to pull out a muffler to get at his cigar-case, and with the muffler came a small parcel tied up in tissue-paper.